New Delhi:India is now set to give preliminary approval to three mega indigenous projects to manufacture another aircraft carrier, 97 more Tejas fighters and 156 Prachand light combat helicopters, which together will be worth around Rs 1.4 lakh crore.The Rajnath Singh-led defence acquisitions council is likely to take up the “acceptance of necessity (AoN)” — the first step in the procurement process — for the three crucial projects at a meeting slated on November 30, sources told .
Once the AoNs are accorded, the tendering and commercial negotiations will take place before the three deals are submitted to the cabinet committee on security for the final nod.All these projects, which will take several years to be executed, are critical for strengthening the country’s operational military preparedness in the backdrop of China’s expanding multi-domain warfare capabilities.The 97 Tejas Mark-1A fighters, at a cost of around Rs 55,000 crore, will add to the 83 such jets already ordered under the Rs 46,898 crore contract inked with Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) in February 2021.
